I like to using toning effects in black and white photography because they can often give images more depth and mood. So to speed this up, not just for me but for anyone else who works in black and white in Lightroom, I’ve created this set of 16 free Lightroom presets you can download via the link.
Toning
Toning is a popular technique in black and white photography where a chemical tint is added as the print is being developed. Now, you can of course do the same thing digitally.
Sepia toning is popular for creating a vintage look, but selenium toning can add a richer, colder tone, while cyanotypes – strictly speaking, a different chemical process – have a much stronger blue tone.
Split toning is becoming popular too, where shadows (the darker parts of the picture) are given one tone and highlights (the brighter parts) another. Lightroom offers a Split Toning panel, for example.
With digital imaging, toning isn't restricted to black and white. You can also add a tone, or a split tone, to colour images as an alternative to white balance or colour adjustments.
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